Cairns - End of the line

So I just arrived into Cairns. I was suppose to stop in Mission Beach for the sky dive but it was raining so they canceled it. Of course it is beautiful and sunny right now. So it goes with tropic weather. I rescheduled for tomorrow so hopefully that works out. This is really the first time in my trip I have been able to sit down at a PC...the bus schedule and all my planned trips have been down to the minute. Hopefully before I fly back to Sydney tomorrow I can get a scuba and sky dive in. As for my details on my trip, the 2 days at Fraser Island was really cool. Fraser Island is the largest all sand island in the world, which is interesting in a lot of ways because there are loads of trees, which you wouldn't think could grow out of sand but the sand has lots of minerals. Both days we took a 4X4 throughout the island to swim in natural lakes (pure white sand). We also walked through sand drifts, drove along the ocean, and my favorite part was swimming in the 'Champagne pools'. The pool there on the right is the one I was swimming in. What happens is the waves crash right before the rocks, then splash over causing LOTS of bubbles. The water is fizzing like champagne. It's quite a workout because some waves come over pretty strong and you have to swim at full speed just to stay in the same place you are.


From Fraser Island I headed up to Airlie Beach where the Whitsunday Islands are. Airlie Beach doesn' thave an actual beach because of all the rocks, so there is a huge man-made lagoon in the middle of town that reminded me a lot of the Hard Rock pool in Vegas (minus the tables, blackjack tables, and bar).

This UK couple in their mid-twenties happened to be on the same trips and buses as me for 6 of my 8 days so I became quite good friends with them. From Airlie Beach I hopped on the Clipper for a 2 night sail of the Whitsundays.

There was 49 people on the boat. We sailed all through the Islands snorkling both days. I went scuba diving the last day but it did not come close to the diving in Belize. I hope to do 1 scuba trip here in Cairns which is where all the real Reef action is. On one snorkel trip I came up on a sea turtle and swam along with it. I don't have time to upload my pics to the blog so I'll do that when I'm back in Sydney this weekend. I met this Danish bloke on the boat who's a riot and he happens to be in Cairns right now as well so that will be fun. Cheers mates. Later.